Magento layout XML file override

layout, magento, module, overriding, xml

Solution

1) You must remove the persistent thing, it will not help finding problem as it's not using the right template.

2) The change you made, will make the yoursite.com/customercar/account/login page using your template but not the yoursite.com/customer/account/login page. Is it what you need ?

3) you use :

<block type="core/template" name="customercar_form_login" output="toHtml" template="customercar/form/login.phtml" ></block>

This is not supposed to be a core/template block but the customer/form_login block (overwritten by your block).

4) you change its name, so it won't be called if you don't have a getChildHtml in the right file.

To sum up, you should do it this way :

<customer_account_login>
    <reference name="customer_form_login">
        <action method="setTemplate"><template>customercar/form/login.phtml</template></action>
    </reference>
</customer_account_login>

This will say that the login block (the overwritten one) use your new template in the original page

Problem

I'm trying to develop my own magento module, and I got an issue with the xml layout file I want to override. I'm working on a way to personalize the login form, from /customer/account/login. For this purpose, i have the following files ``` app/ etc/ modules/ - IT_CustomerCar.xml code/ local/ IT/ CustomerCar/ Block/ Customer/ From/ Login.php controllers/ - AccountController.php etc/ - config.xml design/ frontend/ base/ default/ layout/ - customercar.xml template/ customercar/ form/ - login.phtml' ``` My goal is to override the /design/frontend/base/default/layout/customer.xml file to personalize the login form. Now, to be more specific about my files The config.xml contains these lines : ``` <config> <modules> <it_customercar> <version>0.1.0</version> </it_customercar> </modules> <global> <rewrite> <it_customercar_customer_account> <from><![CDATA[#^/customer/account/#]]> </from> <to>/customercar/account/</to> </it_customercar_customer_account> </rewrite> <blocks> <customer> <rewrite> <form_login>IT_CustomerCar_Block_Customer_Form_Login</form_login> </rewrite> </customer> <helpers> <customercar> <class>It_CustomerCar_Helper</class> </customercar> </helpers> </blocks> </global> <frontend> <routers> <it_customercar> <use>standard</use> <args> <module>IT_CustomerCar</module> <frontName>customercar</frontName> </args> </it_customercar> </routers> <layout> <updates> <it_customercar> <file>customercar.xml</file> </it_customercar> </updates> </layout> </frontend> ``` My customercar.xml (which is suppose to be my xml layout file) is the following one : ``` <?xml version="1.0"?> <layout version="0.1.0"> <default> </default> <customercar_account_login> <label>MODULE : Customer Account Login Form</label> <reference name="content"> <block type="core/template" name="customercar_form_login" output="toHtml" template="customercar/form/login.phtml" ></block> </reference> </customercar_account_login> </layout> ``` On my block, IT_CustomerCar_Block_Customer_Form_Login, I add this line `return $html . 'block';` to check if it is indeed called. And it is. There is a "block" string just below my login form, as expected. On the other hand, the customercar.xml file seems to be ignored. I used the Allan Storm LayoutViewer module to check my page, and the layout is still the one from the core. edit: I also add a `var_dump($this->getTemplate());` on my _toHtml methode from the Block class. And it shows that line : `string(36) "persistent/customer/form/login.phtml"`. I don't really understand why btw. I expected "/customer/form/login.phtml", and not the one from the "persistent" folder. I guess I'm missing something obvious, but I tried to follow a lot of advices from forums and tutorials without any success. This problem seems to be very common, and I thought I could fix it quick. I was wrong... I hope you'll be able to help me, Thanks :) Solution I manage to fix that, with the dagfr answer. First, I disable the persistent module from the backend and the `/app/etc/modules/Mage_Persistent.xml`. Then, I change my customercar.xml file for ``` <customer_account_login> <reference name="customer_form_login"> <action method="setTemplate"><template>customercar/form/login.phtml</template></action> </reference> ```

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